A large number of analytical methods and tools exist today in the scientific work place that can be used for testing samples of a wide variety. Examples of such tools include various forms of chromatography, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), micro array hybridizations, flow cytommetry, etc., utilize a number of different equipment types. While the equipment in support of such testing has come into being and greatly evolved over recent years, many short comings and challenges still exist. For example, such instrumentation is most often multi-piece and requires a significant amount of space. In addition, the various components must all be separately monitored and maintained and can cause unpleasant issues regarding running, and maintaining the instrument. Further, most instrumentation is able to perform only one basic operation and type of analysis. Finally, many analytical devices must be manually operated throughout a significant portion of the analytical procedures being performed.